Christmas Vaca is here!

So to be honest it was really here last Thursday, but today feels like the real first day.  Thursday through Sunday were packed full with birthdays (Joel and Jesus!), presents, family and food.  Today was clean up and put away day.  We picked up our trashed living room, organized news toys and are ready for vacation fun.  First up, shopping!  Yes we have some returns to make and gift cards to spend. 

Tomorrow Scott and I are going on the annual trip to Springfield to hang out with a bunch of teenagers.  More than likely there will be greasy food, loud music, lots of laughter and love for God.  Awesome!!  Can't wait.  Then back home on Wednesday to more hanging out with kids and playing with new toys.

Our new toy is a blu-ray player.  It is AMAZING!!!  Not only is the picture awesome (we are now using our HDtv to its capability), but I can stream Pandora on it.  I love being able to hear it through out the main floor while I am cleaning.  LOVE IT!!  I got lots of yarn for crocheting and have already organized it and put it away.  My talented sister-in-law made me a holder for my crochet hooks.  I thought she bought it.  It is so cool.  I will post pictures at a later date.  Got new dishes from my in-laws that I love.  They are square.  So cool!  My sister-in-law made a comment about it being like a second wedding shower.  Actually, I never had a wedding shower, so it is about time!  :)

I love Christmas.  I get so excited about giving gifts and getting gifts; about decorating and traditions.  This year for some reason I wasn't quite as excited leading up to Christmas, but the celebrations were as fun as they always are.  I love getting to hang out with our family.  It was so fun to watch our neice Lena (almost 3!) playing with not only my girls, but with Joel too.  (He is so awesome! He played tea party with her!  Didn't I tell you he was a great guy.) 

Happy 11th Birthday Joel

 Today my baby boy turned 11. Oh wow. 11. That is 2 years away from 13. 2 years away from being a teenage boy. I know I am not ready for that, so good thing it is 2 years away. For now he is still respectful and an amazing person.

Eleven years ago I was a completely different person. I was scared to death. I was a new wife, new mom and 18 years old. I could barely take care of myself let alone someone else who was completely dependant on me. But I think with LOTS of help from God and my family we have managed to raise a pretty cool guy.

Joel loves his sisters. As I type this he is playing a game he made up with them. They are not fighting and he is amazing at keeping the peace. Joel loves science. He loves everything that comes with it. He loves to build things. Legos, K'nex, you name it, he loves to create. Joel is SO artistic. He loves to draw and color. He loves to create things in 3D too. He will create diaramas that are so cool. It just blows me away!

Joel loves God. It amazes me how it is so easy and seamless for him to talk about God and Christianity in his day to day life. I pray that this never ceases.

As excited as I am to see what kind of man he will grow into, I have plenty of patience to wait for it. Afterall, these first 11 years have literally flown by. I can only imagine how quickly the next 10 will. I am thankful for what God has graced us with in my son. I pray that in the next crucial 10 years of his life that I will have grace and love, honesty and patience, faith and awe in him as he grows into the amazing man I know he will be.

My New Toy

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So this is what I did with my new toy. The "toy" is actually just Picasa, but I think I am hooked! I just downloaded it yesterday and took the time to play around with it today. This collage is actually us at the Rivermen (local professional hockey team) game last night. I loved assigning names to the faces and letting the program run it's facial recognition program. It was especially fun to see who the program "thought" people were. Of course there was mix up between Rhianna and Zaia, but I also thought it was cool when a picture of me as child was in question. The program "thought" it was Joel, Rhianna or Zaia! My kids DO look like me! It also mistaked Scott's older brother, Bruce, as him. Duh...they do look alike! So I am sure there will be more pictures to come as I play with this some more. Especially since Christmas is just around the corner.

Attention Retail Shoppers!

After working in a busy retail store for the holiday season, I have encountered things I would never have believed.  I have walked out of fitting rooms shaking my head and laughed at customers (behind their backs of course!) over insane expectations in clothing.  So for the past few days I have been writing this blog in my head.  Hope you enjoy

Things your mother should have taught you about shopping....
*The clothes aren't yours until you have paid for them and left the store.  With this in mind, don't take your pants off inside out and leave them in a heap on the floor.
*If you really are that lazy, don't hang the clothes on the rack you pass as you leave the fitting room.  It is fine.  However, hang the clothes back on their hanger.
*If you decide that you no longer want to purchace something in your hands/cart, please give it to a worker.  Don't just drape it or hang it over any rack you see.
*Please be respectful of closing times.  We like to go home.  On time.  This is work for me, not a fun shopping excursion.
*Teenagers---Don't be idiots.
*Parents of Teenagers---Don't let your children be idiots.

I am sure there are plenty more.  Feel free to add your own in the comment section if you work in, or have ever worked in retail.  :)

Zombie Apocalypse

Scott, my husband, loves Zombies.  He loves anything that has to do with them.  I, however,  would rather do without.  But, his obsession has certainly led to some interesting conversations. 

The Zombie Apocalypse...How do YOU survive?

Simply put, my solution to the Zombie Apocalypse is suicide.  Seriously.  I am NOT a fan of running.  I certainly don't want to have to chance running from the undead.  I also am not a fan of starvation.  In any Zombie movie I have been forced to watch, they always end up with no food. Um...no.  I like food.  I also prefer the comfort of my own home to aimlessly wandering the countryside in search of the "safe haven" that never seems to really exist.  Not to mention the fact that I would have no way to defend myself.  We don't own any firearms nor do we have a big axe.  I am not in possession of a giant bread truck that I could rig into a tank.  Nor do I have the desire to do so. 

So my Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit would contain the following: a king size Milky Way, a bottle of Dr. Pepper, a shot of Grey Goose, a  giant dose of morphine (preferably in pill form) and a sharp knife, just in case.

Scott dreams of not only surviving the ZA, but also helping to bring back the human race.  No thank you.  I will take my chances at the bottom of a pill bottle.  Heaven sounds so much more amazing than Earth:Post Zombie Apocalypse. 

What would be in YOUR ZA Survival Kit?  :)

Hater

I hate cleaning.  I do.  I know, I am a bad mother and housewife for saying it, but I do.  I hate it.  I hate touching the dirty dishes.  I hate manuevering as many dishes as I can into the dishwasher.  I hate the big cookie sheets and platters that don't fit into my dishwasher that I must wash by, *gasp*, hand.  Ugh.  I don't mind folding clothes, but I hate putting them away.  I hate sweeping and mopping especially since in the 11 years I have been a housewife I have never found a mop that I think adequately cleans the floor.  I hate vacuuming and then having to empty the nasty dirt into the garbage.  It grosses me out to think all of that filth was 2 minutes ago on my floors. 

I also hate dieting and exercise.  Exercise more than the dieting, but they both make my top 10 list of things I despise.  I LOVE food, so to limit my food is torture.  I hate sweating.  I hate my body aching.  I hate hearing myself breathe.

However, in light of my harsh feelings for all of these things, I have done them all today.  Yes my friends I am dieting.  I don't think I am going to call it that though because in my book dieting = failure.  So I am just not eating as much.  I am making better food choices.  (We will see how long this lasts.)  I also exercised today.  I know, pick your jaw up off the floor.  I didn't just watch someone exercise on TV and try to follow along and then turn it off 5 minutes into it, I actually did exercises.  And I actually did as many as my "fitness plan" told me to.  I didn't stop when my arms started to feel something, and I didn't wimp out.  I also did some cleaning.  Not too much, because of course I don't want to hurt myself.  After all, dieting and exercise takes alot out of a "curvy" woman.  ;)

What Time Is It?

CALENDAR TIME!!!

It is Calendar time at our house!  This is our biggest family tradition that Scott and I have started with our children.  A few years ago we found this really neat reusable Advent calendar.  We fill each day with 3 pieces of candy (as we have 3 children) and then talk about something related to Christmas.  One year we picked a country each day and talked about how they celebrate Christmas.  One year we read through the Nativity story and watched the movie.  This year we are starting out talking about different countries and what they eat at a traditional Christmas dinner.

Um...I am moving to Canada.  Just sayin'.  They have this thing that is a GIANT SWISS CAKE ROLL. For Christmas! 

A Giant Swiss Cake Roll!!!

All I can say is yum.  YUM!!!!  I already love Canada for their poutine. (French fries with cheese curds covered in brown gravy.  I know it sounds nasty, but it isn't.  It is yummy.)  So Canada, I pledge my taste buds to you.  I don't have an opinion on hockey, moose or mounties, but I love your food.  Eh.

Black Friday

To all of you who are "brave" and "tough" enough to stay up all night and get to the stores at midnight or 2am.....

YOU ARE CRAZY!

Crazy I tell ya, CrAzY!  Maybe this is just a cult thing that only certain people are designed to enjoy like Star Trek, but I don't get it.  AT ALL.  One year we saw a DVD player that was selling for $15.  We went at midnight (when the sale started) saw the line wrapped around the building a few times, and went home.  We bought the same DVD player a week later for $30.  $15 is not worth standing in a line for 3 hours in the freezing midwestern cold.

So to all the crazy deal day shoppers, I say...Have at it.  I will not be seeing ya anytime soon....or EVER.  Except today....the day after while I am at work and you all come back through my line to return your treasures. 

Double Day

So I know this is the second post for today.  Note my last entry on procrastination will ya?  :)

I made a new Pandora station (love that site) and a song came on.  Ohhhh!  Instantly loved it.  Here are the lyrics.

Remember Me By Ginny Owens

In a Bible cracked and faded by the years
Remember Me
In a sanctuary filled with silent prayer

And age to age and heart to heart
bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder child of God
I've remembered you
Remember Me

Remember Me
when the color of the sunset fills the sky
Remember Me
when you pray and tears of joy fall from your eyes


And age to age and heart to heart
bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder child of God
I've remembered you
Remember Me

Remember Me
when the children leave their Sunday school
with smiles
Remember Me
when they're old enough to teach
old enough to preach
old enough to leave

And age to age and heart to heart
bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder child of God
I've remembered you
Remember Me

Wow.  Just how often do we not remember Him?  I know that He is thinking, loving, remembering me, but does He know that I am doing the same?  He probably knows that I am not.  How many times have I looked at my children and just smiled and thought "You have done good," and meant that for their true Creator?  I am just the vessel in which He made them.  They are not mine, they are His.  And I am thankful for that.  I am thankful to HIM for His children whom He has allowed me to "adopt" for the time being.  I am thankful for my husband whom He has loaned to me while I am on this earth.  I am thankful for the country I am allowed to reside until I move to my real home with Him.  I am thankful for the family in which He has placed me.  I am thankful and so I will remember Him.  I will remember Him in all things big and small.  I will remember Him when I am complaining about the dishes and when I am blown away by beautiful trees.  I will remember Him when I am procrastinating and when I am doing what shouldn't be put off until tomorrow. 

Procrastination!!

I shouldn't be doing this.  I have a list as long as my house of things to do.  So I shouldn't be doing this, but I am a procrastinator.  I have always been and probably will always be a procrastinator.  It causes me stress, yet I don't learn. 

I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  My mom has always done it for as long as I can remember and she is always stressing herself out over it.  I thought it would be nice to let her not fret this year.  If you are unaware, our lives over the last 2 years have been cram packed with tragedy.  First my father's leukemia diagnosis and his death 9 months later.  Then my mother's breast cancer diagnosis along with her own mother's mastectomy.  Shortly after my father's mother's brain tumor and cancer diagnosis her her death 6 months later.  Cram packed with tragedy.  Now my mother is doing really well and has a clean bill of health as is her mother.  (Who is 92 might I add.)  But the less stress on her the better.  Boy did I forget who my mother was!

I love my mom to pieces.  She has remained unbelievably strong through the above heartbreak and still keeps going.  However, she does like to be the mother.  I offered to plan and host Thanksgiving and she was completely fine with it.  "I don't have a problem with you doing it.  Then I don't have to," she said.  I think she has fretting over the logistics WAY more than I.  But that is who she is.  She is a planner and a worrier and THE mother.  I, however, took after my father in the "Eh.  It'll get done," way. 

So although I have a kitchen and bathroom to clean, a list of groceries to buy along with regular daily household duties to attend to....I am procrastinating.  And I am ok with it....until tomorrow.  :)

Plugged Back In

So today I plugged back in.  I believe just like my modem often needs to be cycled, I needed to be as well.  Today I plugged myself back in.  I reactivated my Facebook.

I was un-Facebooked for about 5 months.  It was nice.  I stopped thinking in Facebook status.  I found other things to do. 

But I did miss parts of it.  I missed friends that I NEVER see, let alone talk to that I did connect with through Facebook.  I missed looking up old friends that were more family and seeing what they are up to. 

So I plugged back in.  Look me up.  If you're lucky I will befriend you.  If not, don't take it personally.  I am picky about my "friends." 

Dear Zachary...

I watched this documentary this morning.  It was unbelievable.  I wished that it had been a story, a movie, fiction.  It was heartwrenching and horrible.  But it was true.  It is called "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father.  It started out as a tribute to a friend who was murdered.  It ended up being a grieving process for many, many people affected by it.  I am not going to give it away; if you want to know what happened buy it, rent it, watch it.

It just so happened that it coincided with our small group talk on forgiveness.  Forgiveness is such an odd thing.  On one side of it, it is so hard to do.  We often times feel like withholding it because "they don't deserve it." But on the other side, I want your forgiveness.  If I have done something to hurt someone, I long for forgiveness that they can offer.

Jesus said "

²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”   Mark 11:25

This is so much easier said than done.  But to emulate Christ, to be closer to Him, to honor Him, we must try.  We must make the mental decision to grant forgiveness to those who have hurt us.  But then we must work at actually forgiving.  Man that is hard!  Sometimes it might take days, weeks or even years.  Sometimes we might think it could never happen.  But Christ forgave his murderers.  God forgave us...me.  I should...and will...and perhaps have...granted forgiveness to those who have hurt me...us.

My Last Reward

Today is the day we are celebrating my daughter's birthday.  She won't actually turn 5 until Monday, but today is the day we are celebrating.

Five.  All fingers on one hand.  Wow.  It is so surreal that she is that old. 

I was thinking the other day how once she turns 5 I won't have any children in that "pre-school" age range any more.  Or again.  Ever.  It seems like her milestones have hit me more than the other 2 kids' have because it always is followed with that.  This is it...forever...never again will we experience this first.  Ever.

It is odd, yet amazing.  Not only are my kids growing up...so am I.  I have been growing with them for the past, gulp, eleven years.  Some of my favorite lessons are these:

*Lighten up!  Nothing will go as planned so just let go.  Don't be a "fun sucker" (as my husband tends to call me.)

*No wishy washy.  You can't expect them to mind when you REALLY need them to, if you don't make them when it doesn't really count.  Say what you mean, and really mean what you say.

*Instill kindness.  Nothing makes my blood boil more than when my children are mean and nothing can melt my soul more than when they say a kind word to one another all on their own.

*Trust your gut.  Other parents, whether they are your own or other friends, are wonderful tools, but noone knows YOUR children better than you.  You will always have the best answer, even if you don't know it.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Starting Today...

Starting today I am going to be intentional in life.  I am going to intentionally learn and think and share. 

Starting today I am going to intentionally learn something new everyday.  Whether it is something profound and hard or something light and breezy, I am going to learn daily.

Starting today I am going to intentionally think about things.  Things I learn, things I see, things I hear.  I am going to think them over and just ponder.

Starting today I am going to share.  I am going to share with people who read this, or people who I have conversations with, or perhaps, just myself.

Starting today I am going to intentionally live. 

I found this today....

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

— Romans 13:1 (NIV)

This is obviously relevant since yesterday was the 2010 midterm elections.  Personally, I am neither Democrat or Republican.  If I was to classify myself, I would say I am pretty all over.  I am a God fearing moral mother and wife living a middle class life.  I believe that, generally speaking, people are good and want the best for not just themselves, but all those around them. 

This verse is helpful to me today since what is bothering me the most about yesterday's election was the outcome of my own school's district vote.  The .35% tax increase was turned down.  This saddens me because if we can't give to our neighborhood schools to make our future's education better, what are we doing?  However, I have learned over the last couple of years that God's plan is far superior to mine.  I trust that "The authorities that exist have been established by God," and that He will provide for our future and children.